Adjustment to a New Humanity
by djward
Summary: CRITICISM WANTED. This displays the first three chapters, almost as if it's a teaser. A man finds himself thrown into a world of horror as his surroundings and environment quickly take a turn for the worse.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

A radiant sun beat down on the small, rustic town square. A few merchants and traders from outlying farms and granaries were seen haggling about their wares. An old curmudgeon named Ruphus was at the square selling some of his tomatoes he grew on his once great farm. Ever since his wife died he's kept to himself and let his farm go to waste as he waits for the years to go by alone and heartbroken.

I walked out of the cloths and linens section of the market and made my way over to the old man. He shot me a glance that I received as, "Oh boy not him again." Granted, every time I would try to purchase anything from him it would just end up in the both of us arguing on a price but never settling on one. The only reason I returned to by his tomatoes today was that my mother, who is turning 62 today, was having a small family party and her favorite dish was tomato soup.

"Let's just keep this simple Ruphus, I need around a dozen fresh ones picked today. The highest I'm going is 22 silverbecks." I said. Silverbecks was our currency ever since the "generous" neighboring nation of Lathasia "liberated" our empire. The truth is we were never being oppressed but Lathasia's treasury

was greatly in need of a stimulus package. So naturally being a stronger and more equipped nation than us, they "liberated" us from our king's rules and in the process took one third of our wealth.

"I won't take less than 25." Replied Ruphus in a manner which conveyed almost a hostile response.

"Can't you just spare 3, it's for a special occasion, it's mom's birthday. I don't have a doubt in my mind she'll make another stew for you if you can spare 3." My mother was a very compassionate and generous soul and always tried to make sure everyone had enough to eat in the community. As a child, she always taught me to respect my elders, especially Ruphus since his wife was dying at the time. Mother would always go over to their house and bring stew that could last them a week.

I could see him contemplating if it's still worth. But in the end I knew he would give in considering my mom took such good care of him.

"Fine, but not for you, for your mum. Tell her I said happy birthday." He finally responded.

"Will do."

He handed me the tomatoes and I put them in my leather satchel that was given to me by my father when I turned 13.

I navigated my way out of the town square's market that was now at its peak of foot traffic. Mid day is usually when the most people are bartering.

I walked down the cobblestone road that led out of town. Our town, Leviticus, was a small and humble community but it was what I called home and I loved it. Everyone knew everyone. It was like a big extended family.

The streets and shops were quaint and cozy. The town itself was situated adjacent to a large river that ran into the Mobe Ocean. About 400 or 500 people resigned in town and another hundred lived outside of town in shacks in the forest or on farms.

As I left town the pathway grew smaller and transformed into dirt rather than cobblestone. After a nice rain in the summer I would walk down this road barefoot and feel the sloshing of mud between my toes.

A cool breeze blew in from the west and cooled the surrounding area. The trees rustled back and forth almost in a harmonic pattern. I heard a loud noise to my left deep in the forest. It was almost a shriek of panic.

I tightened my grip on the satchel and took off into the dense forest.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Sweat was dripping down my worried face as I ran faster into the forest towards the yelling. Then all of a sudden the screaming came to an abrupt halt.

I kept running though afraid I was going to find a gruesome image. Ideas and graphics of what could have been causing the screaming start to race through my mind.

A strange half hissing half grumbling sound spurs about 20 yards in front of me in a small clearing. I run over to a large oak tree and scan what lies in the clearing.

It's an image of what seems to be remains of a human left scattered across the grass. Blood and intestines are strewn across the opening in the forest. The worst part of this horrific scene is that there are four creatures hunched over stuffing themselves like an animal would after a kill. They're feasting on what's left of that poor person.

These things look like bloodstained corpses. You can tell they aren't healthy the way their bones are almost visible and have a decomposing look to it. A hint of human glints in their faces as they stuff themselves full of the human anatomy that once belonged to an unfortunate soul.

I just stood there in pure shock and fright. I couldn't move. I had never seen something so vivid and gruesome before. This image I knew would haunt my morbid nightmares in weeks to come.

The trance is finally broken when the start to get up and lumber around as if their looking for their next victim. I'm lucky that I'm not closer to the clearing or they would have spotted me for sure. I need to find a way to get out without attracting their unwanted attention.

I slowly back away, being careful not to step on any sticks that would make a loud snap. Luckily it's just the very beginning of fall and the leaves are still predominantly on the trees.

When I feel comfortably far enough away to turn around, I book it for the pathway. It takes me about half the time to reach the road than it took coming into the forest. I thank adrenaline for that matter. An even more horrible thought pops into my mind when I reach the road. My family.

I sprint down the road to my residence where my father, mother, and two brothers resign. Thoughts of that gory scene adapt to my home filled with guts of my family being eaten by those hellish beings.

I see smoke rising up a mile away. That's exactly where my house is. It could just be smoke from the chimney because it doesn't look big enough to be a house fire but then again it could just be the beginning of one. I run like I've never run before. Tears begin to infiltrate my eyes as thoughts of my family dying that horrible fate become more real.

I'm only 300 yards away but still cannot get a good look at my house because it's masked by a thick line of oak trees and brush. My father told me to trim down the brush before the party but I never got around to it. Knowing what was happening at the house was all I wanted now.

Miraculously I still had the tomatoes tight in hand. I sprinted down past the tree line and came across the house. It was quiet. This was not a good sign. Luckily, I could see the suspected house fire was only but the tail end of the fireplace's offspring. It's usually loud with the sound of my mother cooking in the kitchen and singing songs from her childhood. My brothers are usually outside playing some kind of swordplay game. I run closer to the house and my stomach drops. The door is half on its hinges slowly swinging back and forth in the slight breeze. Part of the front window is broken and has, oh no, a red substance on the corners.

I run inside the house and I just stand there in pure shock. It was a shock worse than when I saw the four mobile corpses inside the forest. I wanted to cry but I was so choked up a single tear wouldn't sputter out.

There was no identifiable sign of who the victims were but I could tell they were my family by the ripped clothes scattered about with the blood and organs. One of the creatures lay in an awkward position on the table without a right arm. I knew my dad or older brother probably killed it. They were most likely overrun because my father was well trained with a sword and my younger brother, who was the middle child, was also fairly decent with a weapon.

I felt so much hate and disgust against what I laid my eyes upon today. I sat there. I couldn't even bury them properly. So many emotions ran through my body and mind I could barely move. I sobbed and mourned. I eventually passed out in the corner of the room next to the once vibrant fireplace that was now just white ashes.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

When I awoke I can't remember anything until I see the awful image in my living room again. I again go on an emotional frenzy. It was more of a rampage this time. I couldn't control anything and I just went through my house smashing and breaking any object insight, except for the treasured ones of my family.

When I finally calmed down a bit I decided enough was enough and they needed to be ceremoniously put to rest.

I grabbed my flint and steel lying in my nightstand next to my bed. I went out to the shed and obtained our remaining gunpowder. I placed the powder around the house and when I was finally satisfied I let my once humble abode ablaze.

I stood there in silence just watching all the memories burn out. I now understand the grief of what Ruphus must have felt when his wife died. It didn't seem humane at all for them to die like this. I can't imagine the pain of what they went through their final moments. My poor fragile mother. I wouldn't wish this fate on my worst enemy.

When the flames finally die out, I get my satchel full of tomatoes, water, 2 loaves of bread, and a flint and steel. I go back to the shed and find my youngest brother's sword. It was a fairly decent sized sword for his age and it was a bit smaller than my old one that I gave to my other brother for his birthday. I tried to find my old sword but I couldn't and I didn't want to go digging through the entrails of my family for it.

I try and get my bearings on what time it is. The sun is placed between its peak in the sky and where it would be at dusk. I assume its around three or four o clock.

After much thought I decide to go back into town. I had this horrible feeling in my stomach that I was going to find more of the same. But I needed to confirm my suspicions.

I didn't run to town. I actually walked quite slowly. I had barely recovered from what had happened to my family. I had no motivation to go any further but still pushed myself on. I knew I wasn't in that right state to even encounter another gruesome but when I got close to town it had exceeded my expectations. I wasn't physically inside the town but I could already tell all hell had been released.

It was silent. The usual sound of the market, people in the streets, children playing, birds chirping, all gone. I proceeded into town cautiously.

When the pathway turned into cobblestone again and the trees turned into shops I could tell there was nothing I could do. The horror was nothing my nightmares could even cook up.

Blood. Organs. Limbs. Decapitated Heads. All these things were littered throughout town. I wanted so badly for this to be just a bad dream. It wasn't and I couldn't do anything about it.

I saw half, yes half, of a young boy's cranium lying on the ground, eyes open. I started to cry a bit because this was one of my brother's closest friends. He was such a good kid. Always polite and helpful. He was a great influence on my brothers. Now he's just a lifeless victim like everyone else.

Surely there had to be some survivors. I couldn't be the only one. There just had to be others. Although. I have lost all hope and am probably alone forever. I knelt down on the ground and cried furiously. So much emotion packed into just one tear.

Then I heard a noise. It sounded like something had fallen over and broken. My spirits raised and I thought it may be someone else who survived the onslaught of what I'm calling infected people because there was still a subtle remnant of humanity in them and they looked deathly sick.

I ran to where I thought I heard the crash. It sounded like it came from the street over. When I reached the intersection of the streets I stopped dead in my tracks. It was one of them that had made the noise.

I stood there too scared to move and just watched it strolling unorthodoxly past shops looking inward. It seemed as though it had a sense of its surroundings and wasn't completely brain dead. I took a step back and stepped on a piece of glass. It made a slight cracking noise but not very loud. Apparently it was loud enough because when it cracked the violent figure instantly turned my direction.

The being just stood there almost inspecting what it saw, contemplating if it was food or not. I drew my sword in an almost slow motion like movement. The infected thing must have sensed the movement because it took off in a dead sprint towards me all the while its mouth open streaming blood.

I had two options. Either stand here and fight it off or turn around and run like hell. I choose to fight. I needed to take all this anger and sorrow out of something. I needed to have a slight victory considering everything seems like a loss now.

Posed in a fighting position wielding my iron-forged sword the creature came in fast. I could see the look in its eyes that all it wants is for me to die. My adrenaline was at it's max as the creature came closer. I let out an almost hoarse scream and stab my sword straight through the cadaver. I closed my eyes for a moment that the hope this all a dream. I then open it my eyes to see the corpse fall to the ground and twitch for a few seconds but then go limp. That was probably one of the scariest moments in my life that lasted under 10 seconds.

I knelt down to get a close look at my assailant. Its skin was a light greenish gray pigment and had puss filled flesh wounds. Its face was wrinkled and the skin fastened tight to the skull so that every detail of the bone was noticeable. It reeked of putrid dying flesh and vomit. The scent doesn't surprise me.

I now feel the danger that there may be more of them silently prowling the town that more resembles a graveyard now. The impact of my warrior-like scream hits me.

I undoubtedly notified any creature lurking around my area that I survived. For the time being.


End file.
